Anger and Hostility
Anger and hostility are signs of aggravated pitta in the nervous system. Pitta, is necessary for understanding and judgment, but when it is out of balance, it creates misunderstanding. Here are several simple home remedies to cool pitta and keep tempers under control.
DIET: Perhaps most important, a person who becomes angry easily or often should follow a pitta-pacifying diet (see "The Summer Diet," left). You should especially avoid hot, spicy, and fermented foods and citrus and sour fruit. Favor simple, bland foods and cool drinks.
MEDITATION: There is an ancient method of meditation that involves watching your emotions come and go without naming them or trying to change them. As the feelings arise, breathe them in and then exhale them.
PITTA-PACIFYING DRINK: Into one cup of grape juice, add 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin powder, fennel powder, and sandalwood powder. This cooling drink will help settle angry feelings and pitta symptoms such as burning in the stomach.
Athlete's Foot
This itchy, inflammatory condition of the foot is common in individuals with a pitta constitution because they are more prone to sweat. Both Ayurvedic treatments presented here should be used until the condition clears.
TEA TREE OIL: The first solution to this annoying problem is to clean the feet with tea tree oil. Rub this natural antiseptic oil between your toes with a cotton swab.
NEEM SOAP: An alternative treatment is to thoroughly wash the feet with neem soap, dry them completely, then lightly apply neem oil to the affected areas.
Bites Stings
Any bite or sting of an insect can trigger a local irritation of pitta under the skin. As long as the venom of the insect remains there, it may continue to create periodic allergic reactions or even sting-bite nephritis, a serious condition involving generalized swelling and breathlessness. So stings and bites, though usually simply irritating, may occasionally be serious.
CILANTRO: As soon as possible after receiving a sting or bite, drink cilantro juice. Place a handful of cilantro in a blender with about 1/3 cup water, blend thoroughly, and strain. Drink the juice (2 tablespoons three times a day) and apply he pulp to the skin over the affected area.
It will pacify the itching, burning, hives, or rash created by the sting or bite.
HEALING PASTE: Also soothing and healing is the paste made by combining with water 1/2 teaspoon each of sandalwood powder and turmeric. Apply topically to the site of the sting or bite.
PREVENTION WITH NEEM: Neem oil is a much-used insect repellent in India and around the world. It contains a natural chemical compound that repels insects. Try rubbing a little on exposed skin before going outdoors.
Diarrhea
Generally, diarrhea occurs when the digestive fire becomes weak. As a result, absorption and assimilation of foods become minimal, and the undigested food is eliminated as liquid. To relieve diarrhea, Ayurveda aims to strengthen digestive fire and pacify whatever dosha--generally pitta--is aggravated. Indigestion, nervousness, or eating contaminated food can also cause diarrhea.
Note: If diarrhea continues beyond three days, consult a doctor.
FOOD REMEDIES: Chop 1-2 ripe bananas, then add 1 teaspoon ghee (see "How to Make Ghee," page 176), and a pinch of cardamom and nutmeg. Bananas are high in potassium, which helps to bind the stool.
HERBAL REMEDIES: Mix 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder with 1 teaspoon raw natural sugar. Eat the mixture with some water 2-3 times a day for 2-3 days. Or try drinking a cup of hot black coffee with about 10 drops of lime juice and a pinch of cardamom or nutmeg.
TO PREVENT DEHYDRATION: Diarrhea can sometimes lead to dehydration. To prevent this, add 1 teaspoon of natural sugar, 1 teaspoon of lime juice, and a pinch of salt to a pint of room-temperature water and sip throughout the day.
Dry Skin
Dry skin can have many causes, but in the hot summer months, sun and hot dry air are the likely culprits behind increased pitta in the system and irritated skin. These remedies can help you maintain the health and beauty of your skin.
OIL: In some cases, applying sunflower or coconut oil to your skin may be all you need to eliminate dry skin.
CHERRY MASK: Apply the pulp of fresh crushed cherries as a face mask for 15 minutes to relieve dry skin and improve your complexion.
SOAP: Soap should be used sparingly because it washes away the sebaceous secretions that maintain the oiliness of the skin. The Ayurvedic practice is to use soap only once or twice a week. Of course, this is not always an option; those who perform very physical work or sweat profusely need soap daily. But any decrease in the amount of soap used in bathing will improve a skin condition.
Eye Strain/Irritation
Although pitta types are more likely to experience burning in their eyes, anyone can fall victim to eye irritation when pitta is not in balance. The following Ayurvedic remedies aim to relieve irritation and help maintain good eye health.
CASTOR OIL: At bedtime, put a drop of pure castor oil into each eye.
ROSE WATER: You can also put three drops of pure rose water into each affected eye. Rose water is cooling.
STRESS REDUCER: For eye strain, take sterilized cotton balls or pieces of gauze, dip them in cool goat's milk, and put them over your closed eyes.
Migraine
Although migraine headaches can result from a vata, pitta, or kapha imbalance, they most frequently occur when systemic pitta moves into the cardiovascular system, circulates, and affects the blood vessels around the brain. The hot, sharp quality of pitta dilates the blood vessels and creates pressure on the nerves, causing this painful condition.
FOLLOW A PITTA-PACIFYING DIET: To treat migraine headaches, it is vital first to reduce pitta with a proper pitta-pacifying et. Especially avoid hot, spicy foods, fermented foods, and sour or citrus fruits. This is effective for both relief and prevention.
Rashes and Hives
The Ayurvedic approach for dealing with rashes and hives is to provide a cooling effect from both the inside and the outside.
FOR INTERNAL HEALING: Here is an effective formula to help restore health to pitta-damaged skin from the inside. It might not be effective for all types of rashes, but it win promote healing of the skin. Mix 2 parts coriander, 1 part cumin, and 2 parts raw natural sugar; steep 1/2 teaspoon of this mixture in a cup of hot milk and drink it once or twice a day until the condition is healed.
TOPICAL SOLUTIONS: Applied directly to the skin, coconut water (from the center of a fresh coconut) and melon rind will help soothe and heal rashes and hives.
Sunburn
Sunburn is an acute inflammatory condition of the skin cells due to overexposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun (or a solar lamp). The inflammation may be mild or serious, depending on the degree of exposure. People of pitta constitution, who are generally more fair-skinned, are more susceptible to sunburn.
Something more may also be involved, however. People use many chemical products on their skin as well as internally--deodorants, soaps, perfumes, and cough medicines, to name only a few. These substances all weaken the skin. When those who use a large number of these products lie in the sun they are more likely to bum.
TO SOOTHE SUNBURN: Apply aloe vera gel or coconut oil to the site of the bum. If you have access to an aloe vera plant, slice a leaf to expose the gel and lightly rub the gel on the sunburned area.
* Take a gauze pad, dip it in cool milk (either cow's or goat's), and apply it directly to the sunburn.
* Place an icebag on the affected area to cool the skin. Don't leave ice touching the skin for more than a minute or two at a time.
TO PREVENT SUNBURN: Avoid or minimize exposure to sunlight from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the peak hours of the sun's strength.
* Before going outside in the daylight, apply neem oil to the exposed parts of your body. Neem is a good sun-blocker and can be applied before and after showering. However, it will not protect your skin from long periods of exposure. The best rule is to avoid more than 30 minutes of direct exposure to the sun.
* Drink coconut water or coconut milk (a mixture of water and shredded coconut flesh), which can be purchased in grocery stores. Both have a cooling effect on the body.
RELATED ARTICLE: The Summer Diet
THE AYURVEDIC TRADITION offers helpful insights into what foods will suit and balance you, how to prepare and cook food properly, how to avoid food combinations that will create toxins in the body, and which eating habits to cultivate--and which to avoid--to receive the most nourishment from what you eat.
What you eat should be suited to your individual constitution and to the seasons. At any time during the year, certain foods can aggravate or calm pitta conditions. In the summer, when the potential for a pitta imbalance is at its height, it is most important to avoid sour and citrus fruits and foods that are spicy or fermented. Here are some other basic guidelines for avoiding problems.
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